James Thomas Collins

James Thomas (Jim) Collins

Largo, FL - James Thomas (Jim) Collins, 74, of Largo, FL, passed away peacefully at his home on September 26. Jim is survived by his loving wife Gloria Collins, his daughters Wendy Collins of Cape May, NJ, Julie (Dee Hark) Collins of Raleigh, NC, former wife and mother of his children Dianna Collins, of Cary, NC, step-daughter Jennifer Linchy, of Grand Rapids, MI, step-son Chris (Kimberly) Linchy, of San Antionio, TX, and brothers Bill (Mary-Anne) Collins, of Nokomis, FL, and Steve (Susan) Collins, of Endicott, NY. He is preceded in death by his parents Mildred and Daniel Collins.

Jim was raised in Maine, NY, attending Maine-Endwell High School, where he ran cross-country, played baseball and wrestled. He went on to attend Saint Bonaventure University, graduating with a degree in Mathematics in 1968. After college he spent his professional career working for IBM as a computer engineer and a manager at the Glendale Laboratories, contributing to projects that supported IBM's first home computers in the 1980's. In his spare time he enjoyed playing softball, golf, and an occasional friendly game of poker. He was always a proud father, coaching and cheering on his daughters in all of their athletic endeavors, and never missing a game. And throughout his life he went out of his way to brag about their accomplishments both in sports and in life.

After retiring from IBM in the 1990's, Jim relocated with Gloria to Florida to enjoy the warmer weather and continue to work on his golf game. During his time in the sunshine state, Jim worked as a computer programmer for Ceridian Corporation in Saint Petersburg, FL, and then part-time at a local retirement center. He and Gloria enjoyed many fun-filled trips to Disney World, where they would share their love of the Magic Kingdom with visiting family and friends. And no matter where he was or what he was doing, Jim always enjoyed meeting new people, sharing a good practical joke, watching sports, and raising a glass of his signature gin and tonic to toast another day of a life well lived. Cheers to you up in heaven, Jim!

Due to the current coronavirus pandemic, there will be no public service or calling hours. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to their local food bank, Feeding Tampa Bay, in Jim's name. Please see their website for donation information: www.feedingtampabay.org/donate.